Harry Potter and the Monster Within
by MartinDC
Summary: Join me now, fair reader, as we watch a young Harry Potter come to Hogwarts carrying a deep and dark secret. One he has kept hidden for five years, one that threatens to escape with the slightest provocation. Watch with me as Harry battles the monster within himself.


Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the owner/creator/deity of the Harry Potter Universe, I am merely a college student with too much on his plate, and too much imagination.

AN: I have always been a very big fan of superhero stories where the superhero is nothing more than a bent and broken soul with a few unique talents, who must fight and overcome his own personal demons to become the man/woman they are meant to be. Join me now, fair reader, as we watch a young Harry Potter come to Hogwarts carrying a deep and dark secret. One he has kept hidden for five years, one that threatens to escape with the slightest provocation. Watch with me as Harry battles the monster within himself.

AN: Does anyone know of a website that will help me with writing an angry Minerva McGonagall? You know, where her Scottish accent comes out? I have a couple very specific scenes where Minerva's temper will get away from her, but need help translating/writing it well.

-DCM-

Kings Cross Station in London, England was usually a very busy place to be at 10:35 in the morning. Today wasn't any exception to that rule. In fact, today, Sept. 1st 1991, it seemed to be much busier than normal. It wasn't something that you could easily put your finger on, it just seemed that there was an unusually large number of people dressed in clothes that weren't quite 'right' passing through. The fact that most of these people were seen between platforms nine and ten wasn't something very many people noticed. In fact standing between the two platforms were two people. One was a very large, round man with a very large walrus like mustache, and the other was a small, messy haired boy dressed in clothes much too large for him. It would have been clear to anyone who took the time to really look that the large man was dressing down the little boy. If the purple face and throbbing vein in his forehead wasn't enough to clue in the casual observer, then if the observer had gotten close enough to hear the words being spoken, all doubts would have been erased. But as is usual with humanity, when the people noticed an altercation near them, they turned a blind eye, and went quickly about their business.

"There you go freak! Look! Platforms nine" the walrus pointed towards platform nine "and ten" his arm swung in the other direction. "Good luck finding platform nine and three quarters." There was an almost maniacal gleam in the fat man's eyes. "Your freak friends didn't even give you the right directions did they? They don't really want you any more than we do! I wouldn't be surprised if they kick you out of that freak school once you get there. Why? Because not only are you a freak, but you're an abnormal freak! Well don't bother coming back to the house when they do because you're not welcome anymore."

The man got much closer to the young boy, bending down and putting his face close to the boy's face. "Getting mad freak? Thinking about attacking me now? Right here in the middle of all these people? Go ahead, let your freak monster out! Do it!" The man kept goading the boy, hoping to needle him into doing something where the authorities would see and be able to do something. The boy merely kept his eyes on the ground in front of him, quietly seething inside. After a moment it was clear to the man he wasn't going to get the reaction he was hoping for from the boy. He reached behind himself, to his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, and pulled out a couple notes. He crumpled up the notes and stuffed them into the neck of the boy's baggy, threadbare shirt. "For the ride to the orphanage when you get expelled. Don't say I never gave you anything." With that the man turned and made to walk away. The boy thought he had weathered the storm of the man's anger, but his hopes were quickly dashed when the man stopped beside his trunk and the empty bird cage that sat on top of it. "Where's your ruddy bird boy? Did she leave you too? Couldn't even keep a bird around you could you freak? At least she was smart enough to get away from your freakishness." With that parting shot, he turned a final time and left the boy standing on the busy platform.

The boy turned and looked sadly at the cage that sat on his trunk. The truth was that he had let the snowy white bird go the day after he had gotten home from his outing, with that man Hagrid, to Diagon Alley. _'I hope you are happy where ever you are Hedwig'_ the boy thought while staring at the cage. The truth was that he had let her go, not because she didn't want to be around him, in fact she had seemed to want to stay, but he had let her go because she had looked…delicious…and Harry didn't think he could live with himself if he had eaten something so beautiful.

With a small sigh he sat down on his trunk and tried to decide what to do next. He could just give up now, and see if he could make his way to an orphanage, or maybe live on the streets, he certainly didn't know how to get to this platform the large man had told him about. He reached into his shirt and drew out the notes his Uncle had wadded up and stuffed into his shirt.

'_I wonder how much these are worth.' _Harry looked at the money uncomprehendingly. With a shrug and another sigh, he was about to throw the useless paper away when he noticed a shabbily dressed man playing a harmonica by a wall with a hat sitting in front of him. As people passed by they would drop a few coins into the hat. His mind made up, Harry picked up his trunk and cage and walked over to the man and dropped the notes into the hat, and then quickly turned and walked towards platform ten. _'At least he will know what to do with them…'_ he thought to himself as he walked away.

"…full of muggles…" these words brought Harry's head around quickly. He spotted a family of red-heads making their way to a brick wall not far from him. He couldn't make out the words that the mother was saying to her children, but he watched intently as several of the clearly older boys walked quickly towards the wall and right as it appeared they were going to crash into it, they disappeared. Harry walked closer to the family, his eyes wide in surprise.

"Heading to Hogwarts dear?" It took a moment for Harry to realize the woman was talking to him. He looked at her in suspense, wondering if he had done something wrong. He was about to turn and walk away when she spoke again. "Just walk through this wall here, it can be scary at first, but if you get a run at it, and close your eyes, it won't be so bad. Can you do that? Or do you need someone to go with you?"

Harry quickly shook his head and turned to the wall and ran towards it as best as he could while carrying his trunk and the empty cage. When he got close he closed his eyes and kept going. After a few more steps he opened his eyes and saw, to his surprise, he was on a whole different platform. This one had a bright red steam engine, and there were people quickly saying goodbye to each other as children climbed into the carriages.

"Move boy!" A tall arrogant looking man with pale blonde hair brushed past him imperiously with his equally blonde and arrogant looking wife and son in tow, his cane thumping on the floor with every other step. Harry's eyes narrowed and his temper flared, but he quickly pushed his anger back down and followed after the family towards the train. He was able to get his trunk and the cage aboard, and took a seat in the very last cabin in the very last carriage on the train. He had the cabin to himself, which was the way he preferred it to be.

The train started moving a few minutes afterwards, and Harry watched the remaining people on the platform pass by as they waved the train off. Bitterness and anger rose in Harry's throat, and he felt his darker side stir within him and fought desperately to contain it. He knew he had nowhere to go if he was expelled from this school, so he was determined to try and be on his best behavior. He figured he wouldn't be able to keep ahold of his temper forever, his personal record was just over two weeks, but he was determined to last as long as he could. After that, he didn't know what he would do, but he would face it when he had to.

"Can I sit here? Everywhere else is full." Harry turned and saw one of the red headed boys from the platform standing in the doorway. Harry looked at him for a moment, and then simply shrugged and turned back to looking out the window. The boy hesitantly sat on the opposite bench while looking back at Harry. "My names Ron, Ron Weasley" he held out his hand for Harry to shake. Harry looked briefly at the offered hand and then up at the boy. After an uncomfortable moment, Harry once again turned away from the boy and continued watching the scenery pass by.

The other boy, Rod, didn't know what to do with the small, quiet boy. He had tried to introduce himself and be friendly, but this boy was either very shy, or arrogant beyond measure. From the look of his clothes, which were at least five times worse than his own, he didn't think he had anything to be arrogant about. So he simply let the boy be and rode in silence.

It was almost an hour later when the doors to the cabin were opened once again. This time it was a short pudgy boy with a round face, and a girl with very busy hair, and large buck teeth that were standing in the doorway looking in.

"Has anyone seen a toad? Neville lost his…" she trailed off looking expectantly at the two boys.

"No sorry, I haven't" Ron replied.

"Have you?" the girl was obviously addressing Harry, but he just ignored her and continued looking out the window. "Hey! I'm talking to you" when he hadn't answered her, she had walked up to him and poked him in the shoulder. Harry's head quickly snapped around and the angry look he gave her made her step quickly back a step.

"Ha…Have you seen…a…toad?" Her question came out with more uncertainty than she was used to. There was something about the intensity in this boys' eyes that made her nervous. He looked at her for a moment and then slowly turned back to the window continuing to ignore her.

"You don't have to be rude…" Anything else she was going to say was lost as the doors once again were opened. This time by the blonde arrogant boy, but now he was flanked by two large gorilla looking boys.

"They are saying Harry Potter is on the train, have any of you seen him?" He looked around the cabin at each of the occupants. He recognized the Longbottom squib, and the Weasley pauper, but not beaver girl or rag boy in the corner. He was getting impatient, he father had told him to make sure to befriend Potter, and time was wasting. If he could do this, they would rule the school together, well he would rule the school, and Potter would be his right hand, as was fitting for a Malfoy.

"N…no..no…I haven't sorry." Neville stuttered out his response. Beaver girl merely shook her head and the weasel looked at him angrily. He was easily ignored, such riff raff.

"What about you?" He spoke to Harry, but was ignored. It was as if the small boy hadn't even heard him. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Again the boy simply ignored him. This just wouldn't do, nobody ignores a Malfoy when they speak to you. He withdrew his wand and pointed it at the boy. "Did you hear me? I asked you a question!" The boy still ignored him. Draco decided to show this trash exactly who the boss was and sent two quick stinging hexes his father had taught him at the boy. One struck the boy on his arm, the other on his upper thigh. "Now answer the question! Have you seen Harry Potter?" The boy hadn't even flinched when the spells struck him. He had simply looked down slowly at his arm and at his leg with a slightly confused look on his face.

Draco Malfoy wasn't normally a patient person, and this boy was being exceptionally slow. He decided to make an example of him and really put him in his place. He gathered his magic and sent as powerful of a stinging hex as he could at the boy, and watched in satisfaction as it struck the boy on his left hand.

"Let me speak really slowly for the stupid people in this cabin. Have. You. Seen. Harry. Potter?" The boy was at least looking at him now. Good, he had his attention. "Well? Answer me you stupid piece of trash! If you…" his words trailed off as he finally got a good look at the facial express the boy was giving him. It was his eyes that got his attention the quickest. They were hard, hard and angry. There was a fire and determination in them that made Draco realize he may have overstepped himself. But it was too late now, there was no backing down.

"Speak up…" That was as far as he got in the rant. The boy shot up out of his seat with a speed that surprised Draco and the rest of the people in the cabin. The boy stepped quickly over to the opposite seat, and stepped up onto it next to Ron. He then quickly jumped off with both feet up into the air towards Draco. While airborne, he twisted his whole body around, swinging his small fist around, catching Draco hard in his skull right above his right eye. There was the audible sound of bones breaking as Draco fell quickly to the floor having been knocked out from the force of the blow to his head.

Everyone in the cabin stared in shocked silence as Draco fell in a heap on the floor of the cabin. The boy took advantage of everyone's surprise and quickly moved up to gorilla one and swiftly kicked him in the groin, eliciting a rather surprised high-pitched squeak from the boy as he grabbed his testicles and bent forward. The boy grabbed him by the back of his head then brought his knee up three times in quick succession, into the face of the squeaking boy. On the third time, there was a crunch, and the boy fell to the floor with a broken nose and blood running down his face.

By then gorilla two had been brought out of his surprised stupor and reached out and grabbed the rampant little squirt on his shoulder, intent on inflicting some damage. His intent was short lived as the boy turned and punched him rather hard in the throat. Gorilla two suddenly found it very hard to breath, and felt himself pushed out of the cabin and fell, striking the back of his head hard on the wall opposite of the cabin he had just been pushed out of.

Harry took three deep breaths and tried to calm himself. He really shouldn't have risen to the baiting the little blonde ferret had given him, but deep inside he knew if he didn't put him down fast and hard, then the boy would keep pushing him until he snapped. If that happened then something worse than a simple beating might happen. Harry looked around at the other three people in the cabin. All of them were staring at him in a shocked silence. The round boy, Neville with fear and surprise, the bushy haired girl in horror, and the red head, surprisingly, with a touch of hero worship.

"Wicked…" came to soft whisper from the red head. Harry ignored him and returned to his seat, sat down, and stared out at the world passing by.


End file.
